


What Were You Thinking

by RichardGraysonPercyJackson



Series: The Acrobat and The Mercenary [78]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Arguing, Dick Grayson Can Handle Himself, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Human Trafficking, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Kidnapping, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Protective Slade Wilson, Slade Wilson is worried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RichardGraysonPercyJackson/pseuds/RichardGraysonPercyJackson
Summary: People often assumed Deathstroke kept Nightwing on his left to be able to see him. This was true, but not for the reason they thought.When Nightwing was on Deathstroke's blind side, he tended to walk away and get himself into trouble when Deathstroke couldn't see him.Like a child who's parent has turned their back for just a moment
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson
Series: The Acrobat and The Mercenary [78]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1323779
Comments: 17
Kudos: 228





	What Were You Thinking

**Author's Note:**

> Other summary: Basically, Dick slips off when on Slade's blind side and the mercenary has a brief freak out

To the people who didn’t realize Deathstroke was in an intimate relationship with Nightwing - and really, Slade was surprised there were any of those people left - they often assumed that he kept the acrobat on his left side in order to keep an eye on him and prevent the vigilante from unexpectedly attacking.

That was only half true. Slade trusted Dick - obviously, otherwise they never would have made it to eight years of marriage - well enough and certainly enough to allow the acrobat to stand on his blind side. The reason he preferred to keep Dick on his left was not because he expected an attack but because his husband had a tendency to wander off when Slade couldn’t see him and get himself into some shit that often resulted in broken bones.

Both Dick’s and whoever had tried to lay a hand on something that belonged to Slade.

So while the current situation didn’t involve any broken bones or injuries - on Dick’s part, anyway - it was no less a perfect example of why Slade kept the boy on his left.

(And why Slade was beginning to consider purchasing a leash for the acrobat)

“What the  _ fuck _ were you thinking!?” he snarled as Nightwing finished untying the last of the victims, murmuring gentle words with her - and shifting so he was between her and Deathstroke, Slade noticed - before prompting her up and over to the door where the police where waiting outside.

“I was thinking that while you were distracting the human trafficker, I could try to find his victims and call the police,” Nightwing replied, either ignoring or completely obviously to Slade’s anger. “And hey, I did. He didn’t even have any guards or anything, either.”

“You could have been killed. I’ve worked for this man before, he doesn’t take vigilantes lightly.”

“But…” Nightwing tilted his head to the side, playful confusion evident on his masked face. “I didn’t get killed?” it came out as a question, less because he was asking and more because he was wondering when Slade got so stupid.

Slade was thinking the same thing, only on Nightwing’s behalf rather than his own.

“We had a plan-”

“ _ You _ had a plan,” Nightwing corrected firmly. “A pretty shit one, too, that  _ definitely _ would have gotten someone hurt.”

“Not you.”  _ Never you _ .

“Fair,” the vigilante acquiesced. “However, even when I did my own thing-”

“Which I told you  _ not _ to do, before we left the damn apartment!”

“No one got hurt.”

Slade closed his eye, forcing himself to take a deep breath so he didn’t do something stupid.

“You’re right,” he quietly agreed at last. “No one got hurt.”

Nightwing nodded slowly before asking, “Me walking away and ruining your plan isn’t what’s really upsetting you though, is it? There’s something else?”

“I didn’t see or hear you leave,” Slade replied. “When I turned around, you were gone. Do you understand why I’m a bit irritated?”

Nightwing pressed his lips together. “Are you going to be mad if I say no?”

“This is a human trafficker, Dick,” Slade murmured, keeping his voice low just in case there were any prying ears. “You saw the victims. You would have fit in perfectly with them. Do you have any idea how  _ much _ you’d be worth? How much people would  _ pay _ to kill you or fuck you or ruin you?”

“I have a sense,” Nightwing mumbled, at least having the decency to look away. “I’m sorry, I just...I felt like if we waited too long, we’d lose our chance. He was moving them tonight and we’ve been tracking this base for  _ months _ ! Innocent lives were going to be lost if we didn’t stop him now.”

Slade sighed. “You’re right, there was a risk,” he agreed. “But you are not worth these lives.”

“ _ Slade _ !”

“We would have found them again.”

“And if I had been taken-”

“He’d likely have sold you off before you ever reached the next destination and you’d be dead before I ever found you.”

Silence fell between the pair. “You want to yell at me,” Nightwing finally acknowledged.

“Immensely. Here is not the place.”

“Then let’s go home,” Nightwing finally decided. “Sooner we get back, sooner you can start shouting.”

Slade sighed, reaching out to take the vigilante’s wrist when Nightwing tried to walk past him,

“I’m not-”

“I know,” Nightwing murmured. “But not here, okay?”

Slade hesitated for only another moment before releasing Nightwing’s wrist. He watched the vigilante go and was about to follow before a voice came from the shadows behind him.

“You let him off easy.”

“What are you doing here?” Slade asked, turning as Red Hood walked into the light.

The antihero cocked his head to the side, his helmet no doubt concealing a raised eyebrow. 

“This was child trafficking. Human trafficking,” he explained.

“Your point?”

“I’ve been working this case just as long as Wing has.”

“And yet you sat back and did nothing.”

Red Hood slowly looked around, arms crossed over his chest. “Aren’t you wondering why our big guy doesn’t have any guards around his ‘merchandise’.” The air quotes were all too evident in his voice and though Slade didn’t feel like verbalizing it, he had been wondering that same thing.

Instead, he asked, “Your point?”

“I dealt with them before ‘wing ever showed up in the room,” Hood replied. “You need to take it easy on him. He wasn’t in any danger. I wouldn’t have let them take him.”

“Perhaps but I didn’t know that,” Slade argued. “For all I knew-”

“He’d been taken, yeah, I heard,” Hood said, placing his hands on his hips. “But you need to remember, Slade, you’re not his  _ father _ . You don’t need to play  _ Bruce _ tonight. The lecture you just gave him is enough, believe me. You’re his husband. So maybe let him know that yes you were worried but you’re not angry that he messed up.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t be upset with him?”

“Not at all, he needs someone up his ass to stop him from doing stupid shit,” Hood agreed. “Just...not you.”

Slade sighed. “What do you suggest I do, then?”

“Nothing,” Hood replied. “The minute you walk through the apartment door, or window, or however the hell you get back in.” Slade rolled his eyes. “Nightwing is going to start apologizing. You don’t need to make him feel guilty because I guarantee he already does.”

“Fine.” Deciding he was done with the conversation, Slade turned and began walking away.

“And hey, I know it’s a shocker and all,” Hood called after him. “But Wing  _ can _ handle himself.”

Slade didn’t say anything in response to that.

……………………………………..

“Slade, I really am sorry. You were right, I shouldn’t have gone off when you didn’t know and I should have communicated it earlier before we left and-”

_ Todd was spot on _ . Slade thought as he closed the window and blinds before turning back around, pulling off his gloves and mask before placing his hand over Dick’s mouth to cut him off.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he murmured. “It seems your brother was there and dealt with any guards before you got to the room. You were never really in any danger.” Slade lowered his hand as he murmured. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset.”

“No, it’s okay,” Dick soothed. “You had every right to get irritated with me.”

“Tell you what,” Slade decided. “We’ll work with Wintergreen and Pennyworth, incorporate something into our suits to wordlessly alert the other if we move off on our own.”

“So if I’m ever standing on your right again-”

“Which you will  _ not _ be doing again.”

“Then I can just send you some transmission or whatever letting you know.”

“Precisely. I think it would be best for both of our stress levels.” Dick nodded and Slade went on. “I know you can handle yourself. But you...matter...to me. In ways no one else ever has. I don’t...I  _ can’t _ lose you, Richard.”

Dick was serious for just long enough to give Slade a kiss before his lips broke into a grin and he said,

“We’ve been married for almost eight years and you  _ still _ can’t be mushy and romantic with just me!”

Slade rolled his eye, shoving at Dick with a muttered ‘brat’ under his breath, even as he smiled when his husband dodged the hand with a bright laugh.

Once they settled down, Dick sobered again. “I still want to make it up to you.”

Slade hummed. “Join me in the shower and I think I have the perfect way for you to make it up to me.”

Dick beamed.


End file.
